10 Former “It” Bags You Forgot Were Hot

Back in the day, these “it” bags weren’t just hot, they were everything! Remember what it felt like when you saw them on the street — the jealousy, the longing, the shame!? Nowadays you can buy them second-hand online for a couple hundred bucks, but way back when, they were so exclusive even their wait lists had wait lists.

1. Prada Vela Bag

It was nylon. It was small. And if it wasn’t for the enameled Prada logo on the front, you could be forgiven for thinking it was a free gift with purchase at your local makeup counter. But it did have that little enamel logo on it, and you could not have loved it more.

Pink Vela Bag, PRADA (Available at The Real Real), $175

2. Balenciaga Motocross Bag

Back in the day, rumor had it that the Olsen twins owned at least one of these in every color.

Pale Blue Motocross Bag, BALENCIAGA (Available at The Real Real), $625

3. Louis Vuitton x Murakami

It’s the partnership that launched a thousand collabs. Also, Regina George and Cady Heron carried them in Mean Girls, so…

From left to right: White Gracie Bag, LOUIS VUITTON (Available at The Real Real), $925 | Pink Cherry Blossom Papillon Bag, LOUIS VUITTON (Available at The Real Real), $525 | Black Patti Bag, LOUIS VUITTON (Available at The Real Real), $1295

4. Chloé Paddington Bag

This is the bag that put Chloé on the map! OK, so Chloé was already firmly on the map, but still, this bag was freaking huge. It was the single biggest thing to ever happen to padlocks. I mean, I’m not some sort of padlock historian or anything, but I would assume this ranks at the top of that list. If you’re really interested in padlocks you can probably find a book about them at your local library or whatever.

Blue Paddington Bag, CHLOE (Available at The Real Real), $225

5. Fendi Spy Bag

That little King-Tut’s-beard-looking thing opened up to reveal a secret compartment that was perfect for smuggling pills into da club. You know… for your allergies.

Brown Spy Bag, FENDI (Available at The Real Real), $325

6. Gucci Flora Bag

This printed canvas bag, in all of its many, MANY iterations, sold so well that the bigwigs at Gucci felt compelled to promote accessories designer Frida Giannini to the post of creative director for the entire brand. Now that is one powerful “it” bag.

White Flora Hobo Bag, GUCCI (Available at The Real Real), $312

7. YSL Mombasa Bag

The giant horn handle on this bag makes it look like it was crafted in a woodshop in some Italian dude’s garage, but back when Stefano Pilati was running things at YSL, that was the look!

Red Mombasa Bag, YVES SAINT LAURENT (Available at The Real Real), $200

8. Dior Saddle Bag

It kind of looks like a human kidney with a handle, but OMG if this wasn’t the hottest, most covetable bag of the earl 2000s. Seriously, John Galliano was pumping out new versions of this bag every other week when he was at Dior and people were buying them up faster than Apple stocks. Even the “rasta” collection was a big seller. Can you imagine Dior trying to sell a “rasta” bag line in 2018? Oh man! The internet would explode.

From left to right: Denim Logo Saddle Bag, CHRISTIAN DIOR (Available at The Real Real), $895 | Brown “Rasta” Logo Saddle Bag, CHRISTIAN DIOR (Available at The Real Real), $245

9. Chanel Ligne Cambon Bag

Karl Lagerfeld super-sized that logo, knocked it off center, and people lost their damn minds!

Black Tote Bag, CHANEL (Available on The Real Real), $895

10. Marc Jacobs Blake Bag 

The two little pockets on the front of this bag pretty much made Marc Jacobs. At least, they made him a lot of money. People were obsessed, and those cute little clasps became a design signature for the brand for many years to come. So many years. Seriously. So many.

Blue Blake Bag, MARC JACOBS (Available at The Real Real), $85